Our Team

Ellen Gates

Owner and Head Trainer

Ellen Gates, with over 25 years of equestrian and show experience, combines her lifelong passion for horses with teaching riders a solid foundation of good horsemanship and developing superior riding skills. Ellen is an accomplished rider listed in the top 10 World Cup Standings and is a highly regarded equestrian professional and coaches highly motivated students. After opening Cold Spring Farm in 1998 she went on to become a respected horse show judge, recognized by the United States Equestrian Federation as a Large (R) Judge in Hunter and Hunter Seat Equitation. Ellen has continued to further her education through clinics with the likes of George Morris, Karen Healy, Dennis Mitchell, Jimmy Wofford, Anne Kursinski, Kathleen Raine and Charlotte Brendal. 

Some of Ellen’s career highlights include: 

  • Winner of the Foxfield Medal Finals, 1986

  • AGA Grand Prix rider

  • Successfully coached numerous students to local and national championships

  • Developed Grand Prix jumper "Maximillian"

  • Listed 10th World cup standings 1996 for the west coast

  • Champion International Jumper Futurity, 4 year olds, 2000

  • Champion International Jumper Futurity, 5 year olds, 2001 

Lauren Deal-Pederson

Assistant Trainer and Instructor

Lauren is passionate about developing both horses and riders and creating confident, capable equestrians through thoughtful training and education.

Her own riding career began as a teenager, when she competed on her barn’s AIRC team and worked as a working student. She went on to compete on the A circuit with a borrowed pony, Abbey, showing successfully in both the hunter and equitation rings. In her early 20s, Lauren expanded her experience into eventing with her beloved horse, Bling, before returning to the hunter and jumper disciplines in her late 20s.

Lauren’s background in Early Childhood Development and Education has strongly influenced her approach to teaching. She brings an understanding of how children learn into her lessons, emphasizing clear communication, confidence, positive reinforcement, and building a strong foundation of horsemanship. She believes that developing a rider goes far beyond simply teaching them how to ride—it is about helping them understand their horse, build good habits, and develop the skills and confidence to continue progressing.

When she isn’t teaching or training, Lauren can usually be found spending time with her horses, Niko and Junie, or continuing her own education as an instructor and trainer. She is committed to continually expanding her knowledge and experience so she can provide her students and horses with thoughtful, individualized training and support.